Technomic Reports: Overseas Chains look to US for Growth

In Japan’s busy city centers, the line for McDonald’s queues out the door. The Sphinx sees KFC as it looks across the desert. Restaurant chains are a prime export for the United States, as companies see an escape from the crowded domestic market.

But at the same time U.S.-based chains look to global markets for growth, many chains from outside our borders are finding ample opportunity to expand their concepts and compete in our homeland.

U.S. operators ignore these international imports at their peril. In their effort to stay ahead of the competition, operators must identify and monitor their competition—both domestic chains and global concepts—examining performance data, menu and marketing updates, and expansion plans.

Growing List of Imports
Over the years, as Technomic has been building its intelligence on international markets—now including Canada, the U.K., Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia and Mexico—and the restaurant brands that lead those markets, it continues to uncover concepts that are looking at the United States for expansion opportunities. Chains such as Tim Hortons, Le Pain Quotidian and, more recently, Red Mango have led the way for a growing list of contenders eyeing the U.S.

What they see when they examine the U.S. market is a consumer who spends almost half their food budget at restaurants, and one who is eager to try new ethnic flavors. U.S. consumers are also ethnically diverse themselves, and many are well-traveled and already familiar with global foodservice brands.

Overseas operators also see large cities and small, some of which may look a lot like the markets in which they successfully operate at home. The real-estate experts in this group will spot the many good locations left by domestic operators and other businesses that couldn’t make it through the economic downturn and slow recovery. MORE>>